The device according to the invention is designed to control and program the operation of several mechanical elements in a predetermined manner or sequence.
More particularly, the system described is designed to position a missile fuse device in the ARMED condition or the deactivated (DUD) condition depending upon the sequence of operations sensed by the missile fuse.
When a missile is carried by an aircraft, for example, there is always the possibility that the aircraft will crash on takeoff or that the missile will otherwise be dislodged inadvertently from the aircraft. In such cases, if the missile fuse is so constructed that the departure from the aircraft will cause an ARMED condition, any loose missile will be highly dangerous. It is considered advantageous, therefore, to employ a fuse which must sense or be dependent upon several factors happening in a particular order before the missile will be ARMED.
According to the present invention, a device is provided which is dependent on the sequence of events or environmental conditions experienced by a SAFE and ARM system and the motion of an arming plunger locks the system in the SAFE or ARM condition or deactivated (DUD) condition dependent upon the time of sensing and the presence or absence of sensing or the occurrence or non-occurrence of an environmental phenomenon.
In other words, if the right combination of events are sensed in the proper sequence, the system moves from the SAFE to the ARM condition. However, if the control surface profiles of various cams moved as a result of the events are improperly presented in timed sequence or not presented at all, the status of the device goes to a locked deactivated (DUD) condition in which the missile can be safely defused.